M.I.A.

Where did the time go??? I can't believe it is almost time for Thanksgiving. October literally flew by and as I now sit down to write a post I realize it has been almost 2 months (sigh, grunt, sad face)! Obviously we have been SO busy learning a ton of new things... of course. Here are the top things you missed:

1. Wolf Award

Our class won the WOLF AWARD! We were the first 2nd grade class to do it so we were very proud. The kids wrote good leads in class showcasing their excitement.

 

 

2. Acts of Kindness

We met with our 6th graders and took turns reading some of our favorite books. The kids enjoyed reading with the older ones! We split up by Houses. The Green House was in my room. Check out some action shots. 

 

3. Author's Purpose

 

Determining the author's purpose is easy as P.I.E. The students learned about why author's write certain stories. We categorized them into to Persuade, to Inform, or to Entertain. Then they worked with groups of 3 to write a short story. The class determined their purpose.

 

4. Math Explorations

We had our first Math Explorations with some pretty cool parents. The kids loved being able to play math games and practice their skills with someone other than Mrs. K!

 

5. Father Wismer

Father Wismer came to visit our classroom as a guest reader. He read a neat story about the man who invented basketball. The kids had lots of questions and connections. Great thinkers!

 

6. Rain Forest

 

We began our rain forest project. The first step was learning about the 4 layers in the rain forest. The kids made a flip book. The flip book has notes under the flaps about each layer including the animals we would find in each layer. On the outside they illustrated a picture of the rain forest. The next week we studied the plants found in the rain forest. The students worked with a partner to research a plant and labeled a diagram of their plant. The last few weeks they have been studying an animal from the rain forest. They worked to research one topic about their animal (habitat, living habits, appearance). The wrote a report about their animal and even created an AMAZING PowerPoint. (can't wait share those next week)

 

7. Veteran's Day

We spent all week learning about Veteran's Day and the importance of honoring others. To culminate, the kids wrote a letter to a relative or soldier and created an eagle to brighten up their letters.

 

8. Book Club

Another exciting part of our daily schedule is book club. The kids chose a chapter book they were interested in reading. The groups were formed and they have a calendar to keep them on track. They meet with their group on Fridays to discuss and hold each other accountable for their comprehension. They are working hard to use their comprehension skills they have learned in whole group lessons. I have been very impressed!

9. Time

We started learning how to tell time to the 5 minutes this week. We made our own clocks to use and practice at home. The kids are catching on quickly and now they don't have to ask me "What time is it?"

 



 

10. Nouns

We are brushing up on our knowledge about nouns, verbs, and noun markers. They are realizing the importance of each of these to write complete sentences.

 

11. Halloween

On Halloween, we wrote some pretty spooky math word problems. The kids had a great time at the Harvest Carnival. They were all decked out with little toys, colorful hair, and mustaches. 

 

12. Visiting Author

Susan Stevens Crummel came to visit us. She was an outstanding visiting author. The kids absolutely loved her stories. Here they are in the classroom after reading her books that I have. Their favorite was The Little Red Pen!

 

13. Computer

In computer, we are learning all about PowerPoint. The students used PowerPoint to create a presentation of their rain forest facts. The learned how to insert pictures and cite resources. By far, they enjoyed fancing up their slides by adding transitions and animations. The kids were able to teach each other all the new things they were learning.

 

14. Future Teachers

Of course, this picture makes me smile. We have some future teachers on our hands. They were doing an excellent job teaching others about how to code sentences.

 

15. Celebrity of the Week

The kids love Celebrity of the week time. This week Morgan brought her grandpa has her show and tell. He used to play for the Green Bay Packers and brought everyone a football. The kids were enthralled with him. They had so many good questions for him.

 

16. Specialist Books

One of the highlights in writing is their Specialist books. It is amazing to see the progress of their writing since the first days of school. The kids picked a topic they already knew a lot about. They wrote a non-fiction book all about their topic. They included all the non-fiction features we have learned about.

 

17. Field Trip

We took our first field trip to the Houston Zoo. I must say the day turned out to be absolutely beautiful! The kids were so excited to see some of their rain forest animals in person. We had a great time looking at the animals and having a picnic lunch near the Reflection Pond. 

As you can see, there was a good reason why I have been M.I.A. Promise to better in the upcoming weeks! Hope you enjoyed peeking into our daily routines.